The Ticket
by Annber03
Summary: A football game brings back special memories for Reid and JJ, causing them to reflect on the path their lives have taken over the past decade. Written for the Writers Anonymous "10 Years" Challenge. (Winner of the 2015 Profiler's Choice Awards - Best JJ/Reid)


**_A/N:_** _References to the episode "Plain Sight"._

 _Also, according to my research, the next time the Redskins played after the events of "Plain Sight", they were in Missouri. And interesting though it would be, I'm pretty sure Reid and JJ didn't hop a plane to Missouri to attend that game. Rather, I think they logically went to a Redskins game that took place in the D.C. area. Therefore, I'm referencing the Redskins game that that took place on October 23rd, 2005, which did take place in their area, d_ _espite the fact that it happens after the episode where Morgan asks about Reid and JJ's date in "Broken Mirror". If need be, we can handwave that the events of "Broken Mirror" happened after that game. T_ _he game they and the rest of the team watch together towards the end of the story took place on October 25th, 2015._

 _And finally, I would like to thank the Writers Anonymous forum for allowing me the opportunity to participate in this challenge._

* * *

Reid could hear the faint wailing already as he rapped at the door. He waited a couple moments, choosing to watch a few leaves tumble from the tree in the yard.

The door soon opened to reveal a slightly harried JJ. She smiled apologetically as the baby in her arms kicked and fussed. "Hey, Spence," she began, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. He gave her a once over. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and she sported a Redskins cap and jersey.

 _Aside from the baby in her arms, nothing's changed._ Reid was struck by that realization.

He shook the thought from his head. "Hi, JJ." His eyes darted to the boy. "Is this a bad time?"

"No, you're fine! Michael just woke up from his nap." She turned to her son, tucking his blanket around him. "I was actually just going to get him some food. He's always a bit hungry afterward. Come on in." She opened the door wider, nodding towards the hallway.

"Sorry I'm so early," Reid said as he made his way inside and followed JJ to the kitchen.

JJ smirked. "I'd be worried if you _weren't_ early for something."

"Where's Henry?" He'd never known the house to be this quiet.

"Henry," she began as she settled Michael in his high chair, "is out with Will at the store. I told Will to take him so I could have time to hide his birthday gifts."

"What'd you get him?"

"The last couple books in the _How to Train Your Dragon_ series, a couple pairs of Spiderman pajamas, and a toy race track. That one's from both me and Will." She glanced over her shoulder at him as she began grabbing the jar of baby food. "What about you?"

Reid shifted from one foot to another. JJ turned fully towards him now, narrowing her eyes. "Spence?"

"Remember that chemistry set I showed him a photo of once?"

"The one that was a hundred and fifty dollars?" JJ asked warily.

Reid grew even more sheepish. "I couldn't help it, JJ!" he said as he saw her start to protest. "He seemed so _excited_ about it, and it looked like a lot of fun, and…"

JJ sighed, shaking her head. "I just can't help but feel a little guilty whenever you and Garcia spend so much money like that."

"We don't mind, JJ, honest. It's worth it. And that goes for both of these boys." He smiled as he observed Michael for a moment.

"Well, thanks," JJ said, patting Reid's arm as she walked by. "I shouldn't be surprised – truth be told, I'm just waiting for the day when this one starts wearing mismatched socks and spouting facts, too. Henry's already talking about how he can't wait until he can teach him magic tricks," JJ said as she pulled a chair up next to Michael.

"Really?" Reid beamed a little at that news.

"Mmhm. Between you and Henry, this little guy's going to be the most prepared preschooler ever in a few years." JJ tickled Michael's chin, and that got a happy squeal out of him.

 _Maybe this is what the "Reid effect" was meant to be all along,_ JJ mused.

After lunch, JJ asked Reid to keep an eye on Michael while she went around and finished getting the place ready for the football party. She'd just finished vacuuming the living room, and stepped back into the kitchen, when she halted in the doorway.

Reid sat at the table, cradling Michael in his arms. He was murmuring something to him – what it was, JJ couldn't quite hear – and one of his fingers was clutched in Michael's hand. Whatever he was saying seemed to entertain Michael very much, as the baby kept kicking and giggling.

JJ had seen Reid hold babies before, of course. One of her fondest memories would always be the day she'd passed a newborn Henry to him when he visited her in the hospital. When she'd informed Reid she wanted him to be the godfather. Then there was the case where he'd actually _delivered a baby_ , and brought the boy over to his mother afterward.

Still, the look of awe on his face, the genuine curiosity and fascination with the little one in his arms…she would never cease to be amazed or touched by that reaction. This time was no exception.

JJ cleared her throat, and Reid's head snapped up. "Oh. Hi. Didn't see you there."

"Indeed. Getting in some good bonding time with your godson?" she asked as she came and sat down across from Reid. He grew a bit shy then.

"It's funny," he mused, as he continued to gaze at Michael. "Ten years ago, I never really considered the idea of kids." JJ held in a laugh at that. She remembered his remarks about baldness and wrinkles when Hotch came to show baby Jack off to the team.

"But now Henry and Michael seem to have stirred something in you, huh?"

"Yeah." Reid's expression turned wistful, and JJ's heart went out to him. It didn't take a profiler to know who he was thinking of at that moment. Only JJ and Blake knew Reid had hoped to have children with Maeve.

"Spence." She waited until he looked at her again. "Trust me. You'll get your wish." _You deserve it._

Reid's response was silent, but grateful. _Thank you. I hope so._

Time to change the subject. "So," Reid said, shifting carefully in the chair. "Excited for the game today?"

"Ehhh…" JJ made a "so-so" motion with her hand. "The Redskins have been kind of hit and miss this season thus far. Who knows, maybe everyone coming over will send some sort of good vibes to the team or something." The two shared a smile at that.

"I'm surprised you agreed to spend a Sunday afternoon watching football," she continued.

"Actually, I mainly wanted to come over and see Michael and Henry," Reid admitted. "But while I may not be much of a sports fan…" He shifted Michael at this point, making sure he was securely held in one arm, and leaned down slightly to dig in his bag. He soon pulled out a cap, happily placing it atop his head. "I'm willing to get into the spirit of the game."

JJ squealed. "Oh, my God, you still have that?" she asked, coming over to tug down the brim, obscuring his eyes slightly.

"Yeah," Reid said, taking off the cap, a fond expression on his face. "If I recall rightly, this was the only thing I could find on short notice at the stands."

"You didn't have to do that, you know," JJ said as she moved back to her chair, pulling it a little closer to Reid's. "There were plenty of people at the game who weren't dressed in team gear."

"I wanted to show my support." He could still remember her decked out in her team sweatshirt, a pair of yellow pants, and a cap. Come to think of it, her hair was in a messy bun that day as well.

"Well, thank you for that." She shook her head, letting out a light huff of amazement. "Can you believe it's been _ten years_ since we went to that game?"

"I know." _Where did the time go?_ "Believe it or not, I actually still have the ticket from that game as well."

JJ's eyes widened briefly at that news, before she held up a finger. "Wait here," she said, disappearing down the hall. While she was away, Reid resettled Michael, wrapping his arms around him.

A few moments later, JJ returned with a small box, setting it on the table and prying it open. Reid saw her own ticket nestled in amongst some other personal trinkets.

"You kept yours, too?" His voice was soft.

"Of course." JJ shrugged. "I had a good time that day." She gazed up at him, her eyes catching his.

Reid straightened a little, his expression meaningful. "So did I."

"Yeah, you were even jumping up and down and cheering a couple times." JJ grinned. "Even then, it didn't surprise me that you would've studied up on the basics of football, but I hadn't expected you to be so… _enthusiastic_ …throughout."

Reid's face heated slightly. "Yeah, well, I didn't want to be the only one just sitting there…"

"Hey, they won that game. Maybe you were a good luck charm!" JJ patted Reid's arm before turning her attention back to the box, and the ticket.

"You know, I actually just recently stumbled upon this a few months ago," she began, running a finger over the ticket. "I was cleaning out my closet and saw this box sitting on one of the shelves. It was shortly after Gideon…"

She didn't need to finish the rest of that sentence. Reid blinked at the memory of the man, casting his eyes down towards the table. "They were a present from him, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, they were his birthday gift to me." He grew wistful again. "He's the one who suggested I ask you out."

"Really?" JJ knew Gideon had given him the tickets, but she hadn't heard _that_ part of the tale. "Why?"

Reid grew silent, thoughtful, unsure of how to respond. This was treading on rather personal territory. Did he dare tell her?

It was ten years ago, though, right? Ancient history.

He took a deep breath before speaking. "Because I told him that you were the only person in the world who called me 'Spence'." He chanced a look back up, relieved. JJ seemed amused instead of freaked out. The special nature of that nickname had eventually changed, thanks to Lila, and later, Maeve. But JJ never knew that particular fact, and Reid had no plans to tell her.

JJ raised an eyebrow. "And apparently he thought that meant we should go on a date?"

"I suppose." He wasn't sure his face could get any redder at this point, and JJ looked like she was well on the way to matching him. She opened her mouth as though to speak, but closed it just as quickly, immediately shaking her head.

Reid wasn't going to let _that_ slide. "What? JJ?" He leaned forward a smidge, hoping to catch her eye again. If he was opening up, she was going to do the same.

"Nothing. It's nothing…"

"What were you going to ask me?"

JJ tapped her fingers against the table. _What could it hurt? It's just a question._

Now she was the one sucking in a breath, letting it out slow. "Why _didn't_ you ask me out again after that date?"

Reid's eyes widened. _Hadn't expected that!_ "Um…" he began, a nervous chuckle escaping. "Ah…well…"

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to!" JJ cut in, waving a hand. "I didn't mean it to sound like…like _that_. I was just…curious."

As startled as Reid was by her question, he was also thankful she'd finally asked. Frankly, that'd been something he'd wondered about himself over the years. There was no denying he'd been quite attracted to her in the early days of their working together, and truth be told, though he'd formed a close and comfortable friendship with her, and was perfectly happy with that setup…there were moments when he still couldn't deny the occasional stirring of those old feelings even now.

She deserved an answer.

"Honestly?" She gave a slight nod of her head, encouraging him. "I don't know. We'd had such a good time that I – I suppose I was afraid I'd…I dunno, jinx it, or something." He turned back to the table once more. "And then we got caught up with so many other things," At this, JJ's mouth set in a slight frown. She knew exactly what sorts of "other things" he referred to.

"And…" Reid gingerly gave a half-hearted wave of his hand. "The timing just never seemed to work, I guess."

He was relieved to see her expression was sympathetic. "Yeah, I get that," she said. Her tone was gentle, understanding. She'd come to the same conclusion years ago, but it was still nice to hear Reid actually confirm her assumptions. "Honestly, I was so focused on the job back then that I don't really know if I would've made time for a relationship anyway. I was the quintessential _driven_ , _plucky_ liaison." JJ spoke sarcastically, making air quotes at that last part. Reid could feel the momentary awkward tension begin to ease.

"You managed to make it work, though, with Will," Reid pointed out. "You've had the most successful and long-lasting relationship out of any of us."

"That's true!" JJ felt a pang of guilt over that, mind, considering the way everyone else's relationships seemed to end. Still, her relationship with Will was something she was proud of all the same.

"And you're a good mom, too." Reid had never been able to say for certain whether or not he would've predicted her becoming a mother once, let alone twice. But he'd always known that if and when she did become a parent, she'd be a fantastic one. And as always, he was right.

JJ merely smiled her thanks at him, tapping the table in acknowledgement of his kind words.

"I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that, Spence," she said after a beat, returning them to their original conversation. "I just wondered, you know?"

"It's okay. I think everyone wonders about things like that sometimes," Reid agreed. Lord knew he had a fairly long list of his own "what if?" moments to reflect on.

The earlier mention of Will prompted Reid to ask a couple more questions. "Does Will know? About our date, I mean, and the ticket?"

"Oh, yeah, I told him we'd gone out once when we first started dating," JJ said. "I didn't share the details, though. Top secret, remember?" She reached over, lightly nudging him with a hand. Reid decided not to mention her lack of an answer about the ticket.

"Morgan refused to accept that answer. He wouldn't stop pestering me for details for a full _week_ afterward," Reid said.

JJ burst out laughing at that. "Garcia and Elle were the same way. Well, actually, Elle was more like, ' _You_ and _Reid_ went to a _football game_?'. I think she thought that was my cover story for whatever she imagined had actually happened on our date instead."

"Either way there wouldn't have been much to tell," Reid said. The date had been very chaste and innocent, with a hug and brief kisses on cheeks to end the night. They'd both been too nervous to dare push any further. _Probably a wise decision._

"I miss her," JJ said then, her thoughts still geared towards Elle.

"So do I." Elle had been the first in the ever-growing list of people who'd come and gone from their lives over the past decade. _If only we'd known…_

A loud knock startled them then, interrupting their now reflective moods.

"That'll be the others." JJ stood, stretching, and turned towards the door. Reid glanced at the box again.

"Hey, JJ?"

"Yeah?"

"I still like that you call me 'Spence', by the way."

JJ fell speechless for a moment before coming over to wrap her arm around his shoulders, giving him a brief hug. "All friends have to have their things, right?" She gave him one last pat on the back and ruffled his hair before leaving the room.

Shortly thereafter, everyone had found their way to JJ's living room, save for Rossi, who had "a surprise" he was preparing. Garcia made an instant beeline for Michael ("He needs some fairy godmother time!"), while Morgan began passing out paper plates and plastic silverware. Hotch took a moment to thank everyone for the birthday gift they'd all pitched in to get Jack recently, leading Garcia to get all teary at the reminder that Jack was now ten years old. "They're growing up so fast!" Tara took a moment to introduce herself to JJ, and the two women began to strike up a conversation.

"And speaking of birthdays," Rossi said a short time later as he brought a cake into the living room, "Haaaappy birthday to you…"

"Oh, no…" Reid started to protest as the others joined in the sing-along. He couldn't help smiling, though. "You guys already wished me a happy birthday on the day itself!"

"Yes, but we didn't get the chance to have a _party_ ," Garcia explained. Reid merely shook his head, playfully rolling his eyes.

As Garcia spoke, Morgan came over with a bag. "Remember this?" he asked, a cheeky grin spreading across his face.

Reid groaned. The birthday cake hat. Of course. "You actually kept that thing?"

"Of course!" Morgan's own mega-watt grin was huge. "Never know when you're gonna need it, after all."

"Is this payback for my merely _mentioning_ that I'm going to get you back for that prank you played recently?" he joked as Morgan set the hat over his Redskins cap. As awkward as the whole thing fit, however, Reid decided not to ask if he could remove it this time.

A few moments later, Will and Henry came through the door. Henry barreled towards his godparents while Will helped JJ bring in the food and drinks. Within the hour, the game started, and everyone settled in for the afternoon.

When the Redskins won, JJ turned to Reid and placed a hand over his. "Told you you were a good luck charm," she whispered. Reid gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

After the game, the team lingered for a while longer. Will, Tara, and Morgan were watching the post-game coverage, commenting on particular sportscasters and some of the replay footage. Hotch and Rossi had gotten onto a discussion about Jack's soccer team, and coaching strategies.

JJ was busy getting Michael ready for bed. She caught a glimpse of Reid tickling a laughing Henry, interrupting whatever magic trick they'd been in the middle of doing. An image of Michael joining them flashed through her mind, and she bit her lip to keep the sudden emotion down.

Reid waited as Will said good-night to Michael. Henry and Garcia followed soon after, and the rest of the team waved and whispered their own "good night" wishes as well. When it was his turn, Reid placed a kiss atop the boy's forehead.

Neither JJ nor Reid realized it, but they'd shared a similar thought in that moment.

 _Thank you, Gideon._

* * *

 _Reviews/critiques/etc. appreciated, as always._


End file.
